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Man who escaped Alcatraz sends FBI letter 50 years later

The escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was one of the most ballsy prison breaks in history. The island was said to be inescapable until Clarence Anglin, John Anglin and Frank Morris decided differently.

The three were serving time for more than a few crimes including bank robbery and car theft when they chose to breakout. On June 11, 1962, the trio cut holes in their cell walls, left behind papier-mâché dummies in their beds, and fled outside the building through the ventilation staff. Then they scaled the fence and fashioned a raft from raincoats and contact cement. It was around 10pm when they cast off into the cold waters of the San Francisco Bay.

John Anglin, his brother Clarence, and their friend Frank Morris were never seen again. The FBI’s investigation concluded that the three of them had drowned at sea. However, many people believe they made it to shore. Even the 1979 film “Escape from Alcatraz” implied that they’d made it to the mainland.

According to Telegraph, members of the Anglins’ family maintained that the three men survived and made contact with them over the years, including John and Clarence’s mother who said she received signed Christmas cards from her sons for three years after the escape.

In 2013, the FBI received a letter supposedly from John Anglin, but was never available to the public until now. It reads:

“My name is John Anglin. I escape [sic] from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I’m 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes we all made it that night but barely! Frank passed away in October 2005. His grave is in Alexandria under another name. My brother died in 2011.

If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you know exactly where I am. This is no joke this is for real and honest truth.”

The U.S. Marshals, which is the sole agency investigating the cold case today, says the FBI lab examined the letter for fingerprints, DNA, and specific handwriting, but the results were inconclusive.

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The more I read about the case, the more I believe they made it that night in 1962. FBI agent Jeff Harp told CBS News San Francisco, “As a law enforcement person I’d like to think that their escape attempt was not fruitful for them. Personally, as someone who swims in the bay, and we have a triathlon that goes on every year, there’s not a single person that doesn’t make that swim”.

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